[1] Equatorial ionospheric plasma bubble irregularity development and dynamics during the major magnetospheric storm of 26 August 1998 are investigated using the data collected by a multistation and multi-instrument diagnostic network operated at equatorial and low latitude sites in Brazil, and auroral electrojet activity (AU/AL), IMF, and D st indices. A magnetospheric disturbance onset in the morning of 26 August 1998 was initiated by a solar wind shock and associated IMF Bz polarity reversals and ssc that were soon followed by a succession of substorm-like auroral electrojet (AE) intensifications and D st development. An IMF Bz southward turning and associated AE intensifications in the Brazilian dusk sector produced intense prompt penetration eastward electric field that caused large F region vertical drift and consequently the developments of intense postsunset equatorial anomaly and a series of intense plasma bubbles, the latter event lasting the entire night, as observed by digital ionosondes at São Luís (2.33°S, 315.8°E, dip angle: À.5°) and Fortaleza (3.9°S, 321.55°W, dip angle: À9°) and an all-sky imager, two scanning photometers, and a Digisonde at the lowlatitude site Cachoeira Paulista (22.6°S, 315°E; dip angle: À28°). A notable aspect of the dynamics of the bubbles was their initially very low eastward drift velocity which turned into steadily increasing westward velocity that lasted till early morning hours. The results show for the first time a relationship between the zonal drift velocities of optically observed large-scale bubbles (tens to hundreds of kilometers) and that of the smaller scale (kilometer sizes) structures as observed by a digital ionosonde. The results point to the dominant role of a disturbance dynamo associated westward thermospheric wind to maintain the plasma irregularity drift increasingly westward going into postmidnight hours. As an important finding, the results further show that significant contribution to the westward plasma bubble irregularity drift, normally attributed to disturbance dynamo effect, could arise from prompt penetration disturbance zonal electric field, in the course of a disturbance sequence lasting several hours. Such effect is attributed to Hall electric field arising from the primary disturbance zonal electric field, under enhanced nighttime ionospheric conductivities produced possibly by storm associated particle precipitation, in the Brazilian longitude sector in agreement with recent evidences [Abdu et al., 1998b].
The great geomagnetic storm of March 13, 1989 (Σ Kp = 60, Ap = 246) caused severely anomalous behavior in the equatorial and low latitude ionosphere in the Brazilian longitude sector. The ionograms over Fortaleza (4°S, 38°W) indicated F region upward plasma drifts exceeding 200 m s−1 at 1830 LT as compared to normal values of 40 m s−1 for this epoch. Large negative phases were observed in foF2 over Fortaleza and Cachoeira Paulista (22.5°S, 45°W) and in total electron content measured over São José dos Campos (23°S, 46°W). The equatorial ionization anomaly was totally absent either because of its anomalous expansion to higher latitudes or because of inhibition of its development on the two nights following the storm. Many anomalous variations in F region peak density and height, occurring simultaneously with sharp variations on H component of magnetic field over Fortaleza and with auroral substorms, give strong evidence of penetration of magnetospheric electric fields to equatorial and low latitudes. Auroral type sporadic E and night E layers are observed after 1830 LT over Cachoeira Paulista, the latter showing peak electron density of about 6×104 el cm−3, therefore comparable to the E layer peak density in the morning hours at that station. The Fortaleza ionograms show the presence of the F1 layer at night, a phenomenon that has never been observed over our two stations before. The role played by electric fields penetrating from high to low latitudes, particle precipitation, and composition changes in explaining the observations is discussed.
Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are a ground end manifestation of space weather processes. During large geomagnetic storms, GICs flow between the grounding points of power transformers and along electric power transmission lines connecting the transformers. In high‐latitude regions, damages to power transformers are reported where storm time geomagnetic variations are very rapid and large (>1000 nT), and hence the GICs as large as or even greater than 100 A end up flowing through the windings of power transformers. At low latitudes, geomagnetic variations are less severe, and hence much smaller GIC values are generally reported there. However, the flow of GICs and their effects on power transformers are complex processes, and careful evaluation is needed even in such low‐latitude regions as, for example, Brazil. We report here a study on GIC measurements in Brazil conducted under a cooperative project between FURNAS (the Brazilian electric power company) and the National Institute for Space Research. During a large geomagnetic storm, which took place on 7–10 November 2004, the GIC amplitudes, measured on the basis of geomagnetic variations in 500 kV power transmission lines in the S–E region of Brazil, were found to be around 15 A.
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